New Zealand’s Refreshed Halal Food Guide Aims to Better Cater to the Needs of Muslim Travellers

Tourism New Zealand has launched an updated version of its Halal Food Guide in a bid to improve the overall visitor experience for Muslim travellers and provide them with a more comprehensive overview of halal culinary options around the country.

Since the launch of the Halal Food Guide in 2016, the 2017/18 edition now includes 289 more restaurants and cafes. This is an increase of 51% more listings from the previous edition, which are either halal-certified or offering vegetarian/vegan cuisine, in new regions such as Whangarei and Marlborough.

Travellers can also use the guide to identify halal-certified grocery stores and takeaway outlets.

The guide was curated in partnership with the Kiwi Muslim Directory and the Federation of Islamic Associations of New Zealand (FIANZ) and provides general tourism information, together with a total of 567 halal-certified listings.

Tourism New Zealand’s Regional Manager of South and South East Asia, Steven Dixon, said the updated guide demonstrates the organisation’s ongoing commitment to better cater to the dining needs of Muslim travellers and further enhance New Zealand’s position as the preferred holiday destination among this audience

“Fresh, diverse and delicious, New Zealand’s world-class take on gastronomy offers a truly unique experience to the visitor journey. We recognise the growth of halal tourism in the South-East Asia region and how important it is for Muslim visitors to have easy access to timely information about suitable dining options when travelling.

“We knew it was key for us to continue partnering with the Kiwi Muslim Directory and FIANZ to consistently update the Halal Food Guide so that Muslim travellers can fully maximise their enjoyment of New Zealand’s quality food experiences. With this refreshed guide, Muslim visitors now have even more culinary choices across different regions and cities, which we hope will allow them to get the most out of their time in New Zealand,” said Mr Dixon.

Hazim Arafeh, President of FIANZ, said the Halal Food Guide provides an invaluable source of information to all Muslim travellers coming to New Zealand, at a time when the halal tourism market is booming globally.

“We are delighted to have contributed to the update of this informative guide and hope that Muslim visitors continue to feel reassured and confident in making the most out of their stay in New Zealand.”

Nawaz Ahmed, Project Manager of the Kiwi Muslim Directory, also shared, “We look forward to continue working with Tourism New Zealand to update the list of dining options in the food guide and identifying new ways to deepen levels of Muslim consumer satisfaction in New Zealand.”

Some of the recommended halal food places to try while visiting New Zealand include Bawarchi Indian Restaurant in Central Auckland, Garudas Food Truck in Wellington, The Herb Centre Café in Christchurch, and KL Aroma Restaurant in Dunedin.

The Halal Food Guide is available for download on the Tourism New Zealand website: